High-Risk Activities
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign encourages professional and personal growth for the campus community through travel and participation in new and/or challenging activities. The university, though, remains committed to the well-being of travelers participating in university-related travel. It exercises this commitment by reviewing certain high-risk activities.
The university does not require reporting of all activities undertaken during international travel. Occasionally, though, campus staff becomes aware of planned activities that present unique or elevated risk to travelers. Without being overly intrusive, the university seeks to ensure that travelers have adequately planned and prepared for such activities and that the residual risk is acceptable and proportional to the educational outcome.
Identification of High-Risk Activities
The Policy on International Travel defines high-risk activities as participation in:
- Available activities or traveling under prevailing conditions that are not included or considered in the Department of State or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisories,
- Activities that are excluded from coverage for the university-approved international insurance, and/or
- Activities covered by the university-approved international insurance presenting significant risk without a clear connection to the university or program mission.
Approval of High-Risk Activities
When aware or informed of potentially high-risk activities, International Safety and Security will work with the travelers or the travel sponsor to identify the activity and associated risk/concerns, the purpose of the activity, risk mitigation strategies already in place, additional strategies that may be used, and the residual risk after mitigation measures are applied.
- Undergraduate students: International Safety and Security will work with the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategy (VPIAGS) to determine if the activity will be approved, require risk mitigation measures for approval, or if the activity will be disapproved.
- Graduate students: International Safety and Security will prepare risk mitigation strategies for the VPIAGS to share with the unit to determine how or if the activity will proceed.
- Faculty-staff: International Safety and Security will prepare risk mitigation strategies for the VPIAGS to share with the unit administration for consideration related to the travel.
Travelers, travel sponsors, or staff with knowledge of potentially high-risk activities that have questions regarding potential high-risk activities are encouraged to contact International Safety and Security.